San Sebastian’s big three have done their work, time for bench to step up
MANILA, Philippines—No one deserves lion’s heart of the credit for San Sebastian’s sturdy campaign in NCAA season 87 more than its own trusty Big Three.
Day in and day out, it’s been Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual and Ian Sangalang—the squad’s three veterans—who get in the grind for the Stags, often teaming up of three quarters of the squad’s total output.
Start with Abueva, the scrappy forward and soon-to-be Most Valuable Player of the competition who not only is a constant source of energy but also, give or take, 20 points per game and 10 rebounds.
“Calvin is going to be Calvin, at the end of the day he’s still our leader,” said neophyte head coach Topex Robinson of his 22-year-old star.
‘‘I’m just really aggressive,” said Abueva.‘If I can’t shoot, I’ll play defense or give an assist.”
Abueva bid being a ballhog adieu as he added a new depth—passing—to his already menacing game. That bodes well for two other sides of the triumvirate, Pascual and Sangalang.
Pascual is a mad athletic swingman and even more lethal marksman. Tomahawk slams and clutch triples have been his trademark all season long.
“We have eight rookies in the team, and it’s up to us—the veterans—to take over,” he said.
With Pascual focused on his role, he churns out an average of 19 points per game. And with him and Abueva in the court, the possibilites, the match ups, the ways of attack, are limitless.
And there comes Sangalang, the Stags’ third punch. With little fanfare, he has been a threat on both ends of the court and could be your guy when it comes to that all important offensive rebound.
Sangalang could give San Sebastian18 points per game, eight to nine rebounds and a handful of blocks, to boot.
It’s easy, though, to fall into that glaring trap wherein you lean on your three best players to do all the dirty work for you. It happens, not only in the NCAA—but also in the big leagues, even in the NBA.
But Robinson, as inexperienced as he is compared to the league’s seasoned mentors, knows his squad limitations.
“It’s not about the Big Three, it’s about everyone,” SSC coach Topex Robinson said. “We know that these three guys will put their hearts out but what’s important is the other guys.”
Because if one of them fails to fulfill its function, the previously well-oiled machine of San Sebastian conks out, as we have seen in the tail end of the NCAA eliminations
The Stags, after reigning for the entire season, had its one foot out the door in the semifinals after suffering three straight setbacks—twice in the hand of San Beda to determine the top spot and once versus Letran in the final four.
Only Abueva and Sangalang showed up with their usual output in those matches, while Pascual only managed a combined 24 points in all three games—certainly a stark contrast from his nightly average.
Which begged Sangalang to ask this question, “Pano kung isa samin mawala, or dalawa, pano na kami? [What if one of us don’t perform well, what’s going to happen?]”
And to which he already knows the answer.
“Importante kaming tatlo, pero hindi lang kami dapat. [The three of us are important, but it can’t just be us.]” said Sangalang. “Kailangan rin namin sila, kaya kailangan namin magstep up [We need them to step up.]”
And now they’re back in the finals—the Stags are well aware that when it comes to the Red Lions, which they face in the final duel for the third straight year, anything short of a perfect game just won’t cut it.
“Kailangan namin patunayan kung ano kaya naming gawin, kundi mawawala lahat ng pinaghirapan namin. Kailangan namin bumalik sa dati namang laro. [We’ll do our best not to waste all our effort.]” he added.
